Paul Goodwin is one of Britain’s most versatile conductors, dividing his time between opera productions and concert performances, working with early instruments and modern orchestras. His flair for creative and dynamic programming is appreciated the world over. He is Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the Carmel Bach Festival in California and Principal Guest Conductor with Capella Aquileia in Germany. Follow me on Twitter at : Paulgoodwin123 or spotify.com/albums/paulgoodwin

Latest from Carmel

Last year’s festival continued the upward rise in the fortunes of the Carmel Bach Festival with record audience figures, diversity and record revenue. It was deemed probably the most successful in its 81 year history!

My efforts to expand the repertoire, flexibility and musical reach of the festival received an enormous boost by a gift of 2.4 Million Dollars, give specifically to support my artistic vision and that of my artistic team. It will enable us to take the necessary programming choices to continue the diversification of the festival and keep it fresh for the future.

I am now able to carry on with my 5th new music commission for the Festival. Having commission works by John Corigliano, Curt Cacioppo, Thea Musgrave and Caroline Shaw, I have commissioned a guitar concerto by the Hollywood film composer Mark Mancina to work as a companion piece to the Rodrigo concerto.

I am also able to continue expanding the Festival into other art forms by inviting Black Panther star actress Francesca Faridany to read the Shakespeare text for a presentation of the Mendelssohn Midsummer night’s dream and invite back our folk and cross over stars, Fire and Grace, along with a Swedish Nyckelarpa virtuoso.

We start the Festival with Haydn’s Creation and end with Beethoven’s 4th symphony ( you can hear me performing the last movement with the Philadelphia orchestra in my web site Media section). The main Bach piece will be the Christmas Oratorio, but split up into three performances of two cantatas each, presenting them in three venues, with three conductors and three different formations.

We will have our popular opera night, this time on a theme of Saints and Sinners! - Polephemus and Galatea from Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Tom Rakewell and Anne Truelove from Stravinsky Rake’s Progress, the Count and Susanna from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Don José and Carmen from Bizet’s Carmen.

No year would be complete without an outing for Leonard and Rasmus, a little boy and his stuffed horse who’s adventures have taken them round the world, under water and into space. I will enjoy every moment of narrating this year’s adventure in front of our audience of over 600 kids and friends.